Comedy to explore fathers and sons

The Rubicon Theatre Company will host the Southern California premiere of “Ben Franklin: Unplugged,” written by and starring Josh Kornbluth of “The Josh Kornbluth Show” on PBS.

The show previews Thurs. and Fri., Feb. 9 and 10, and opens at 7 p.m. Sat., Feb. 11, continuing through Sun., March 5 at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura.

Opening night gala tickets are $85 and include a postshow reception.

Performances are Wednesday through Sunday. For standard ticket information and show times, call (805) 6672900.

In “Ben Franklin: Unplugged,” stand-up comic, actor and PBS television host Kornbluth takes his audience on a “hilarious, heartfelt and very human journey.” Kornbluth wakes up one angst-filled, middle-aged morning, looks in the mirror, and finds he has somehow become the spitting image of Benjamin Franklin.

He begins to uncover the mystery of Franklin’s unresolved relationship with his son William, a Royalist during the Revolutionary War, and what starts as a jaunty stroll through history becomes Kornbluth’s personal and poignant quest to reconcile with his own father.

Part comic autobiography, part history lecture and part mystery yarn, “Ben Franklin: Unplugged” is moving story about fathers and sons.